Trafalgar Bay in York

My Favourite pub in York - lovely staff, great beer, wonderful fires in every room & games to play, come every time I am in town. Can't get anyone to answer the phone when I call, hope it is not permanantly closed!?

New management. Keen to improve the social atmosphere. Certainly better already

Good pint hand pulled bitter good outside seating area ,but the no mobiles doesn't work especially when you've ordered a taxi get in the 21st century or it will close witch will be a shame cor its a nice pub

Phil, the landlord, in a league of his own. Superb beer (OBB, pure brewed organic lager) and service unbelievable. Can't wait for our next visit!

A down to earth pub, near the city centre , with a local feel. It's a Sam Smith's pub , so the Sam Smith's beer is cheap. Be aware though there's a no mobile phone policy and this is enforced in a friendly way. Also no swearing and no music policy.Theres a beer garden .Lots of games like chess and dominos available. I like the friendly local feel to it. .

Loved this traditional pub since I first visited it in 1989. The rules aren't for everyone but the signs are noticeable. Put your phone away and speak to the other visitors as we did. Very well priced.

Brilliant Land lord and landlady , very friendly will be back ,

Good service for friendly staff

Traditional pub with fires. Well worth a visit for a quiet drink.

Pleasant atmosphere in a traditional English pub, good beer and attentive service from friendly landlord.

Well you can't swear and use phone or tablet and we been kicked out even only use in pub because we were having a good time and swear sometimes. I can't add photos I couldn't use phone 😁

Incredibly friendly and accommodating staff, take cash though!

Traditional pub well worth a visit

Great pub , great staff, great prices.

Friendly staff, affordable well kept drinks, good pool and table and dartboard. Board games and 3 rooms available as well as a large bench garden to the rear.

Nice open fires and cheap, good quality beer. Would be ideal if one could pay by card, as we would have stayed longer.

No technology allowed great idea. Just beer, board games and a warm fire.

Lovely pub. Even introduced my brother there last week who now likes the place. Nice atmosphere and a great place to go for a good natter and catch up

Lovely old fashioned pub run by the very welcoming Phil & Sarah, no TV or music playing. No swearing policy. Each of several smallish rooms have an open fire in the winter, and games you can use. A bit of a community hub with various activities and social groups. Cash only pub and no tech allowed which can sometimes be a downside if you want to have a meeting and share information on a laptop or mobile. Also good beer garden. Doesn't do food, only bar snacks. Rooms can be booked for private events and you can take your own buffet.

Really friendly young couple running this pub where everyone made welcome. Usual Sam Smith benefits of no TV and good cask beer..Cosy smaller separate rooms rather than shed like space. Deserves all the other 5 star reviews.

A proper Sam Smiths pub and well continue to visit for years to come. Friendly staff and great landlord and landlady.

Ideally located for the railway station, with a view of the City Walls, and Sam Smith's beer.

Nice Pub, great beers and top service. The beer garden is pleasant in a rear courtyard. They have a "zero" tech policy, asking you to put your phones away and talk to each other! Great idea!

Absolutely lovely staff...like it says a hidden gem!🤗

Nice place to have a beer, diligent helpful staff. Just remember to take cash.

Table service only at present but the lasses worked their socks off. Made our Grandson very welcome and brought out colouring books, pencils and other bits n bobs. Good covid measures in place.

Great staff, good covid safety, great selection of drinks.

Very helpful friendly table service

Decent outdoor space, live music

Reasonable prices for the location. Pool table. Board games. Lots of outdoor space and I found it much friendlier than other Sam Smith's pubs I've been to. £3 - £4.60 for a lager and about £4.20 for an authentic cider (only one on the menu at the time)

Very covid secure and friendly staff that looked after our group when we had booked ourselves into the Pub.

Lovely Samuel Smith pub adjacent to the city wall. Large beer garden and very clean (interior and exterior). Attentive and friendly staff. A must see if you like quality beer, very reasonable prices and an environment that encourages conversation.

First time out since lockdown. Lovely pub, great staff and felt safe.

Lovely warm welcome as always. Everything was well organised, including excellent table service as well as a well stocked selection of the usual drinks. Really enjoyed a few hours in their spacious and sunny beer garden. Thanks very much, we will definitely be back soon.

The first day open after recent events. Still the same warm welcome and atmosphere. All credit to Sarah and Phil.

Great pub. No technology allowed but good prices and atmosphere. Love it.

Nice pub landlord has good local knowledge & very helpful.

Was brilliant took in my puppy Angel. And looking forward to been a regular and taking part in the crafting ect The landlady was very welcoming and I loved the notice to say no swearing. Just the type of pup I want as my local.I recommend everyone to pay a visit:)

Great pub with loads of games and cheap beers

Friendly cosy pub with open fires

I like the commitment to a quiet family friendly pub. Drinks quite expensive. Real fires were great. The technology free areas were a bit difficult for us as we needed to let family know where we were.

Great Sam Smith pub. Cheap drinks and decent pool table

If you want a good time in a pub avoid this and any Sam smiths pub. This one has arrows directing you down bar to serving point and then quickly asks you to leave serving point. We went outside and checked latest betting odds. At which point a bar maid came out to point us to a sign saying no mob phone use. Now they say cash no cards. This is a pub chain, in my opinion, that wants consining to history. It's better to spend a pound more in a pub that values your custom than save the same enduring their anti enjoyment philosophy. If you don't believe this review then visit any sams and make your own mind up. I have no axe to grind, til I wasted time and money in this place

Cracking Sam Smiths boozer. Lovely traditional pub and nice staff and locals

Great, cheap beer and pool table. Friendly staff with no swear policy.

As a pub should be. An excellent meeting place.

Really lovely pub. Met a nice customer who lives in York originally from Middlesborough who we had a good conversation with and also the young lady who served us behind the bar.

Prices are low. Beer and cider are rocket-fuel. Swearing, shouting, laughing, loud talking, using a mobile phone.... All banned. Decent pub though. Nice to go back in time. Sort of.

A lovely place to be, came here for my stag do and had a wonderful time, singing killers songs in the beer garden with another stag do, went back recently however and there was a big sign saying no singing, no talking loudly, no fun etc etc. Somewhat ruined an otherwise excellent pub.

Very pleasant atmosphere friendly will definitely recommend this fine beer establishment

Nice little Sam smiths pub fantastic beer at very reasonable prices and good to go for a quiet drink, however as with all Sam smiths now they have a complete ban on electronic devices which I do not see as in keeping with modern society. If it wasn't for the brewery making them enforce this rule I would give it 5 stars. Edited to clarify some wording.

I'm finding it a little ironic that I'm being asked to review a pub whose brewery (Sam Smiths) has banned the use of internet based devices in his pubs....

A great local and community pub. Phil and Sarah are doing a great job and in the Sam Smiths tradition of quality beers at amazing value.

very nice pub will put this on our list to visit again.

Very friendly. Great place for chatting over a drink.

Good atmosphere. Casual and priced casual.

Great traditional friendly pub.

Good pint, quiet wrong time time of the day. Very clean, tidy and comfortable pub

Great boozer, and friendly bar staff.

Excellent pub, little hidden gem and bonus of cheap Sam smiths beer , beer garden too!

Now ,That's the Sam`s House on Nunnery Lane.. Not the one down road a bit.

If you're after a cheap and quite drink then it's the right place for you. Log fire in three separate rooms.

A great pub , very friendly Landlord who keeps his beer in fine fettle.

Lovely local pub with so many events and very inclusive

Love this pub when we're in York , 100m from Mickelgate , friendly, cozy and great beers

On entering the Trafalgar Bay on a cold, wet and blustery day we found ourselves to be the only customers in this four room (five if you include the bar area) pub. The fires were all going (it was May though) which made all the rooms lovely and warm. The landlord/barman greeted us and we ordered two pints of the brewers beers that came to a staggering £4:08 - for both. We had paid that for one an hour ago! The fires got topped up and we stayed for a couple more. The pub looked like it had been refurbished sensitivity and was clean and tidy. A cracking find.

Superb little pub. Friendly, clean, hood beer and prices

Under new regime has become a board game type of pub with the usual Sam Smith's cheap beer and blazing log fires.

Warm, friendly, inviting, homely and every room has a wonderful real fire - enjoyed very much first attempt at needle felting and signed up for 2 more evenings !

Just lovely...the log fire ..great beer and a land lord who can't do enough for you...10 out of 10 x

This is a friendly, warm and welcoming pub. Family friendly also. We enjoy spending time here as locals but this evening we experienced a power cut at home and we came for a drink. We were welcomed with open arms and the hospitality is outstanding. If you visit York give this place a try 👍

Don't go here if you like to swear. Or you are an adult that can't help swearing. Best sure to change your curse words to biscuits or any other replacement words. Nice place though.

Very nice pub good cheap beer no food served here but no loud jukebox so you can have a nice quiet drink just over the road from the city walls. Large carpark opposite have to pay.

I like The Traff since the new landlords. They make a huge effort to have the fires on and to create a great atmosphere. Good pricing too which makes it an affordable place to hang out. Often have groups and events too so check if there is something you might want to join. I always have the Organic Lager, a Sam Smith's pub. They even do their own cocktails! Also beef crisps are good 🤗

The trafalgar bay is a sam smiths pub had a lovelly cider reserve it is very nice and the staff are very friendly will call again soon.

Brilliant staff and great prices. Been in twice and always amazing customer service

Very family orientated, excellent.

Beautiful pub. Very accommodating to my family. Great beers and crisps. Definitely worth a visit. And 4 drinks and 2 packets of crisps was £6.60. Coal fire in each room. Not to be missed.

Great Sam Smith's, divided into little rooms with fires on.

The management are excellent prices unbelievable I actually thought they had made a mistake. Only sell there own beers and had a few ALLL First-class all ready said will be back and looking forward to tomorrow.

This pub is local to us and we regularly frequent here. The new management are warm and friendly and they socialise with you which is nice. The pub is maintained to a high class and is impeccably clean and the bear is as it should be, which indicates the lines must be regularly cleaned to. We enjoy some games sometimes as there is plenty to choose from. Definitely recomend this place for a quite relaxing drink and chat

Absolutely fantastic. Lovely beer and great company

Propper nice pub this... Bit of a little gem hidden in plain sight. Real fires! Good beers... Very Good prices! Friendly bar staff... With a refreshing attitude the foul language thing isn't cramping free speech... Far From it. I for one thing it refreshing to be in a pub and not having to listen to aggressive offensive bigoted nonsense. I can see a nice community gathering around this pub. We'll Done!

A Samuel Smith's pub. Very good value and a good atmosphere.

What a pub. Proper old school. If you like great atmosphere, great ales. Real fires and great prices this is the place.

Good selection of beer and very cheap!

Great pub, community atmosphere and lovely owners. Can only think the negative reviews are from those who are looking for a noisy pub with a rowdy atmosphere if so then try the Micklegate run! Trafalgar Bay is a wonderful warm place that is creating a safe welcoming space for families and the local community Thank you to Sarah and Phil for giving us such a lovely place to enjoy

Much improved. Lovely little rooms. Very friendly hosts

Interesting and cosy Sam Smiths pub, with a good selection of ales on tap , Lagers and spirits. Several rooms for groups to discuss there daily topics without disturbing other drinkers. Coal & Log fire to warm the rooms on cold winter days .

Excellent Sams pub. V friendly landlord and staff. £2 a pint, what more could you ask for

A new coupe to the pub running business and they obviously have a lot to learn

Unusually there is a pool table but that's not a negative. The beers are served perfectly as with every Sam Smith's. The Dark Mild is on which is always a bonus for us southerners as we rarely get to see it.

I met a friend in the late afternoon. The pub was clean, warm and very comfortable! The beer was delicious and the service was superb! Thanks guys!

A proper pub, very friendly, serving great beer.

A wonderful multi-roomed traditional pub with 3 open fires in 3 different rooms! Run by a brilliant couple who have fully taken on board the owners wishes to make it a family and woman friendly place, so no strictly no swearing, plenty of board games, a warm welcome, and non-alcoholic options. Of course, there is a full (and comprehensive) range of beers, lagers, and other drinks too. Recently diversifying into craft workshops during the day and early evenings. Fantastic community experience. Definitely worth a visit. My favourite pub in York.

Great little pub run the way all pubs should be, Warm friendly & very welcoming . The pub doesn't have a music / tv /Gaming machines. It also doesn't allow swearing. It doesn't serve food which is no big loss but that is made up by Sarah & Phil that run it . The pub is a Samuel Smith's so you get quality great value & local brewed beers . The Pub has a good selection on offer this now also includes Hot drinks for those who want something for a change, They also have a corner where you can pick up a book & read , They also have a coal fire which was running while I was there last Thursday night with my wife they have a few groups that do different things on different nights so it's a great community asset . Something a lot of town pubs forget. All in all a great pub no large party's of males or females which allows the pub to keep it plesent atmosphere. Yes I would recommend this place.

Got to be 1 of the best pubs in York! Atmosphere is friendly, staff are awesome & the activities held there are brilliant.

Good cheap beer with very pleasant staff, just far enough out of the centre of York to avoid too many tourists whilst still attracting a friendly clientele .

Friendly bar maid from Durham good for chatting meeting new people good pool table excellent choice of drinks reasonable prices would recommend visiting

Seriously cheap Sam Smiths beers 'friendly staff and locals nice place